Universities around the nation have some new tools heading to class this year that should make campus life easier, quicker and more efficient. But as NY1 Tech Beat Reporter Adam Balkin explains, all of those new tools are wrapped up inside a device they already own.

Long lines are an unfortunate fact of life at the Baruch College library as students jockey for everything from Internet time to a quiet place to catch up on studies. But this year, students with cell phones can avoid the wait.

“Without having to come across campus to a particular service desk, they can tell whether there are any group study rooms available, whether there are seats available in our computer labs, or whether there are any laptops for them to borrow,” says Arthur Downing of Baruch College.

That's because Baruch College has joined more than a dozen other universities and colleges around the nation in implementing Rave Wireless. Called “Air Baruch” here, the new technology essentially turns any phone on any service into a Swiss Army-type device with a whole host of new campus-based features.

“On average, today's student, about three homework assignments change per day, if you can believe it,” says Rodger Desai of Rave Wireless. “So it could be something like, ÎProblem set nine was wrong, do 10 instead,’ or, ÎFor extra credit do 11.’ So those types of things are communicated through Rave and Air Baruch as well, so class assignment changes, room changes, class cancellations. We also track shuttle buses through Rave, so you open your phone and see a map and see literally where the shuttle bus is.”

Though students seem to like the Mobile Social Software most, because it gives them the ability to set up groups of all types in order to communicate with several people at once.

“One thing that it’s really useful for is to meet new people, especially for the freshman that are coming in,” says student Yelena Zlatkina. “They might not really know anybody here, so it's really useful to try and find people who are maybe in your classes or have the same interests, and get to know someone that you normally wouldn't get to know.”

An application that'll probably appeal most to parents, or at least help convince them to buy the service at the schools that charge for the service, is a safety application that could help protect the student in a potentially dangerous or scary situation.

“Let's say you're going back home to Queens from Manhattan, you set a timer, and before you get back you turn it off,” says Desai. “If you don't turn it off you're warned, and after that if you still don't turn it off your location and your profile, in terms of your pictures, contact information and medical information, is sent to police so they can find you anywhere in the country.”

As alluded to earlier, some schools charge for the service. Baruch is among those that offers it for free.

It's all opt-in, and almost all of the services can also be accessed through a computer.

Developers say more than 100 schools will be on board by fall 2007.

- Adam Balkin